1. Technical Field
The present invention relates in general to methods for improving data processing systems and in particular to methods for creating temporary document relationships between documents in a data processing system. Still more particularly the present invention relates to methods of creating temporary document relationships which may be automatically deleted upon the removal of one or more documents.
2. Description of the Related Art
Complex data processing system are well known in the prior art. Large distributed data processing systems typically include multiple resource managers or library services which serve to maintain multiple data objects or documents which may be utilized are temporarily removed by users within the data processing system. The sheer magnitude of the number of data objects within a modern state-of-the-art data processing system make it necessary to arrange those data objects in a linear and/or hierarchical manner. This may be accomplished in several different ways.
For example, a system known as Document Interchange Architecture (DIA) is utilized in International Business Machines' systems to define sets of services which are performed by processes implemented in the uppermost layer of International Business Machines' System Network Architecture (SNA). The Document Interchange Architecture (DIA) is utilized to define the protocols and data streams which are necessary to interchange information such as documents and messages in a consistent and predictable manner. In general, Document Interchange Architecture (DIA) is not concerned with the content of a document being interchanged and the term document is utilized herein to define any collection of data.
Within the Document Interchange Architecture (DIA) document library services are utilized for storing, searching, and retrieving documents electronically. These functions are analogous to manually filling and retrieving paper documents in a paper office system. A document library service typically makes use of document profiles for searching through documents within a library service. These document profiles may be utilized to locate all documents related to a selected topic, all documents having a selected author, and/or all documents received at the library services between two selected dates.
As an adjunct to a document library service, it is now possible to electronically group multiple documents together in a manner which is analogous with paper office techniques. For example, an electronically designated "folder" may be created which allows a user to group multiple documents together in a linear and hierarchical structure. A hierarchical relationship may be created by simply nesting together multiple document folders. Similarly, a linear relationship is created by placing a set of documents in a user specified position within a folder. The concept of electronically designated folders is more fully disclosed in U.S. patent application Ser. No. 138,539, filed Dec. 23, 1987, entitled "Methods of Logically Organizing Documents In A System," now abandoned.
A second form of electronic grouping of documents is disclosed in U.S. patent application Ser. No. 277,387, as parent of continuation application Ser. No. 07/631,193, filed Nov. 29, 1988, entitled "Method Of Filling Stapled Documents," in which a so-called "staple" relationship is disclosed. A staple relationship is a one-to-one relationship between two documents in which one document ("stapler") is electronically associated with a second document ("staplee").
In both of the foregoing procedures a relationship is established between a document and one or more additional documents. Often it would be desirable for a document relationship to be dependent upon the existence of another document in a manner which permits the automatic deletion of the relationship in response to the deletion of a document; however, it is currently necessary for a user to explicitly delete a relationship after it is no longer being utilized.